US Senate condemns Russia’s activities in Georgia
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, June 9
The Foreign Relations Committee of the United States (US) Senate has backed the bill which condemns Russia’s actions implemented in Europe, including Georgia, and reflects the measures to be conducted by the US Government.
Information about the bill was released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia (MFA) on June 8.
The bill lists the main findings and underlines that the Government of the Russian Federation has sought to exert influence throughout Europe and Eurasia, including in the former states of the Soviet Union, by providing resources to political parties, think tanks, and civil society groups that decimates distrust in democratic institutions and actors, promote xenophobic and illiberal views, and otherwise undermine European unity.
The document also says that Russia has engaged in well-documented corruption practices as a means toward undermining and buying influence in European and Eurasian countries.
It also reads that the Russian Federation continues to violate its commitments under the Memorandum on Security Assurances in connection with Ukraine’s Accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, done at Budapest December 5, 1994, and the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe Final Act, concluded at Helsinki August 1 1975, which laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, of which the Russian Federation is a member, by its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, its illegal occupation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia in 2008, and its ongoing destabilizing activities in eastern Ukraine.
“Russia continues to ignore the terms of the August 2008 ceasefire agreement relating to Georgia, which requires the withdrawal of Russian troops, free access by humanitarian groups to the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and monitoring of the conflict areas by the European Union Monitoring Mission,” the bill reads.
The documents adds that the US President should call on Russia to withdraw all of its forces from the territories of Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova, to return control of the borders of those territories to their respective governments, and to cease all efforts to undermine the popularly elected governments of those countries.
Under the bill, the US should allocate $250 million in 2018-2019 "to counter the influence of the Russian Federation in Europe and Eurasia, and for other purposes”.
